Movie Review: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

Off late there has been a spurt of young adult fiction adventure novels and their film adaptations. Titles that immediately come to mind are Hunger Games, Divergent and Maze Runner. These stories are characterized by a post-apocalyptic or dystopian civilization with a central character as a young teenaged hero with a strong sense of virtues, who is a rebel of sorts, who questions the authority and its oppressive establishment. 

These stories are usually trilogies where the first part introduces us to the characters in our story, the society that they live in and the central theme of the story. The last part obviously is meant for conclusion and revealing the fate of the characters and their world. As such, the middle part is left for bridging the gap between the first and the last, and in most cases acts as a filler. Naturally, this is the most sluggish part of the trilogy.

That fortunately is not true in case with The Maze Runner. This popular series of novels involves a group of teenagers who are part of an experiment by a mysterious organization named WICKED. The members of this group stay in an open area with woodlands called as the Glade, which is at the center of a massive maze inhabited by some deadly creatures to deter them from leaving the glade. The inhabitants of this place, called Gladers, have their memories erased and they remember nothing except their first name. The first part of the series introduced us to the hero amongst the gladers – Thomas – and his band of brothers who embark on a quest to negotiate the maze and its dangers to find what is on the other side.  

The second part – The Scorch Trials – picks up exactly where the first part ended. As such it does not waste any time in exposition on the happenings of the previous film. Thomas and his friends are taken to a rebel stronghold, which later turns out to be WICKED’s station. Some new characters are introduced here and we get to know more about the world as it is after the catastrophic event. It gives just about enough time for the gladers, and us, to understand the predicament they are in, before the on screen action reverts back to the series’ trademark – Running. Thomas realizes that the only way he can fight WICKED is joining the rebels. So he and his friends escape from the station and embark on a journey through desolate landscape, dilapidated and ghostly cities which are inhabited by people infected with Flare virus – zombies. (These days you should assume that if there is a rampant incurable virus in a movie, then it is bound to have zombies. Well, there are notable exceptions like Contagion, but they are very few).

The series stays true to its theme as they keep on running most of the time – Running away from WICKED and its soldiers, running away from zombies, running away from collapsing buildings, running away from lightning storms. On the way they meet new people who help while some betray. Thomas also realizes that he is special in more ways than one. The movie answers some old questions while posing new ones. I will not take away all the fun by revealing too much here. But the ending sets up the story for an enthralling finish.

The action/adventure quotient of the movie is good enough to keep young as well as old audiences engrossed and emotionally invested all along. CGI is also well done with the orange hues and the landscapes reminding you of Mad Max movies. The music score is well suited for the action unfolding on screen. Acting and direction tick the appropriate boxes.

To sum it up, it is an effort that has gone one better than the previous film. Definitely a one-time watch!

My rating: 8/10

Movie Review: The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

It's a movie with a pair of non-MI6 James Bonds having fun that the one from MI6 never had. The movie adapted from the famous television series co-created by Ian Fleming is as much an ode to action movies of the last century as it is a humorous take on the genre which off late has become more dark and serious.

The plot is simple - A group of neo-Nazis are making a nuclear bomb and delivering it to a group of terrorists. Set the story in 1960s and you have the West and the Russians facing each other at the Berlin Wall. To make matters interesting, the CIA and KGB decide to join hands to retrieve the blueprints of the weapon, and provide the best agent from their side played by Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer respectively. This sets off a series of hilarious scenes where the two leads indulge in some one upmanship all the while working towards the common goal. Throw in a female lead in the mix who has an agenda of her own, and we have an interesting premise that builds up to a typical Guy Ritchie thrilling climax loaded with stylistic action sequences. 

The chemistry between the three leads stands out the most and makes you crave for more when the movie ends. While there is nothing much to take away from the movie, you enjoy each and every moment to the fullest. Sometimes, cinema is all about that, isn't it?

My Rating: 8/10